Strategies for studying cellular function involved in disease states generally rely on comparison of control and disease states. A number of different proteomic and genomic strategies, including differential profiling platforms and functional assays (e.g., interaction studies) are being routinely employed for this purpose. At the heart of these assays is the assumption that they can sensitively and specifically detect differences in expression or function in a full complement of genes or proteins and that they accurately simulate the pathophysiological processes under investigation. However, unrecognized flaws in current screening methodology are that they are carried out in air and, furthermore, are not carried out in the presence of perturbations that are characteristic of and specific to the pathophysiological processes or otherwise representative of physiological conditions, e.g., in the presence of nitric oxide (NO). Thus, current screening methodology lacks a level of validation and biological significance. The actions and interactions determined are not causally related to the pathophysiological processes.